Los Angeles may be immune to the blustery weather that afflicts the majority of the country, but when it comes to food, we still have many of the same seasonal ingredients. Case in point: pumpkin, which is as sure a sign of fall as you’ll find. Several enterprising Angelenos have turned the leathery orange fruit into creations that far exceed pumpkin pie. Here are three prime examples of pumpkincraft.
Thyme Cafe and Market – Santa Monica
Maire Byrne may own this seasonally inspired Sunset Park café, but it’s pastry chef Lisa Vega who decided to grab the pumpkin by the stem. Vega previously worked at Providence, Craft and Yountville’s Bouchon Bakery. Her pumpkin tart costs $4 and features a scintillating gingersnap crust made with repurposed gingersnap cookies. Her creamy pumpkin puree contains an intoxicating mix of brown sugar, nutmeg, clove and cinnamon. The topper is a clever pumpkin seed garnish that provides added texture.
Craft – Century City
At Tom Colicchio’s Century City outpost, pastry chef Shannon Swindle oversees a sprawling dessert menu that allows you to mix and match seasonal fruit, ice cream and sorbet with “classics,” but your best bet is to look to the composed “Combinations” listed at the bottom of the page. $12 may seem like a lot to pay for dessert, but this is Century City, and the quality level is high. Swindle’s contribution to pumpkindom is a Pumpkin Clafouti with Spiced Pear & Cajeta Ice Cream. His clafouti is a fluffy cross between a souffle and a pancake, studded with pumpkin seeds and layered with naturally sweet slices Bosc pear. The hot clafouti comes hot in cast iron dish and is paired with a cool scoop of cajeta ice cream ribboned with rich goat’s milk caramel.
SusieCakes – Brentwood
Chef-owner Susan Sarich has capitalized on her nostalgia for childhood classics by growing a four-branch SusieCakes empire in Southern California. She always features compelling seasonal specials and currently offers three different pumpkin desserts: pumpkin spice cupcakes, pumpkin pie (of course) and best of all: mini pumpkin cheesecake ($4.95). The pumpkin cheesecake is absolutely luxurious, with a tangy layer of sour cream that cuts the richness, a crushed Graham cracker crust and a spice dusting.
There’s one other pumpkin creation in the works that’s worth tracking. Last month, Library Bar bartender Matt Biancaniello said he was planning to infuse bourbon with roasted pumpkin, add allspice syrup and top the unnamed cocktail with eggnog foam.
If you know of a pumpkin dish in L.A. that I missed, please comment below. Your recommendation can be savory or sweet.
Previous Los Angeles Round-Ups:
Top Cinnamon Rolls in Los Angeles (September 15, 2009)
5 Great San Fernando Valley Dishes (July 13, 2009)
Top Fried Chicken in Los Angeles (July 6, 2009)
The Best Middle Eastern Flatbreads in L.A. (February 13, 2009)
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- Trackback: uberVU - social comments on November 23, 2009
The only dish you didn’t mention that I also found noteworthy was SusieCake’s pumpkin pie but I agree that the cheesecake is wonderful. Bless you for singling out Thyme Cafe’s pumpkin tart. My second visit there was a quick coffee before taking an out of town guest there on the way to LAX. The tart was sublime. Nice to know its pedigree.